Continuous processing machine for scouring, dyeing and carding wool fibers



3,365,752 DYEING J. C. FARELL Jan. 30,

CONTINUOUS PROCESSING MACHINE FOR SCOURING,

AND CARDING WOOL FIBERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 2O

A'noanms 3,365,752 CONTINUOUS PROCESSING MACHINE FOR SCOURINC, DYEINO J.C. FARELL Jan. 30,- 1968 AND CARDING WOOL FIBERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledFeb. 2O 1963 n: .DE

INVENTOR JAIME CIRERA FARELL 6L-IMC ATTORNEYS Jan. 30, 1968 Y .1.c.FARELL Y CONTINUOUS PROCESSING MACHINE FOR SCOURING, DYEING AND CARDINGWOOL FIBERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 20, 1965 INvBNToR JAIME CIRERAFARELL ATTORNEYS Jan. 30, 1968 1,C, FARELL 3,365,752

CONTINUOUS PROCESSING MACHINE FOR SCOURING; DYEING AND CARDING WOOLFIBERS Filed Feb. 20, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG.

INVENTOR JAIME CIRERA FARELL ATTORNEYS Ullfes Patent 3,365,752CONTINUOUS PROCESSING MACHINE FOR SCOURING, DYEING A ND CARDING WODLFIBERS Jaime Cirera Farell, Barcelona, Spain Filed Feb. 20, 1963, Ser.No. 260,949 4 Claims. (Cl. 19-66) This invention concerns a machine forscouring, dyeing and carding wool in a continuous process.

The method employed at present in textile mills to carry out the woolscouring, carding and dyeing operations requires lthe utilization ofindividual machines and arrangements for each of said operations andwhich are often carried out in different plants or divisions whichexclusively carry out each of the mentioned processes. Initially, thescouring is effected by means of bowls, wherein Wool bers are bathed ina detergent solution, and are kept under a steady stirring with the helpof forks; 'this stirring inducing elting of the iibers into tufts andthe breakage of many of them, thus reducing the yield and makingnecessary a further carding action which produces the breakage of moreiibers and the yield is still further decreased.

The dyeing process requires, such as it is at present, prior wetting offibers to make easier the fixation and penetration of the dyestui, itbeing further essential that bers be subjected -to a continuous stirringto regularize the dye tone, and consequently, new elting is producedrequiring a further carding, which also causes brea'kages and loss ofIfibers, as well as Ia decrease in yield.

An object of the present invention is to provide a continuous woolscouring, dyeing, drying and carding machine, wherein the wool fibersare not subjected to any stirring during the scour-ing, dyeing or dryingoperations, ber losses and felting being reduced in this way.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine wherein thescouring, dyeing, drying and carding operations take place Awithout anygap and the iibers do not have to be dried between the rst and secondstages.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine wherein thescouring and dyeing processes are not carried out by immersion in aprepared bath, but through spraying of the tibers with warm Water, withor without detergents, .and through spraying also with warm dyeingsolutions, by passing a continuous layer of wool fibers amongcorresponding groups of sprayers and collecting reservoirs, that layerbeing placed on a continuous conveying belt moving -among the saidsprayers and reservoirs.

Another object of `the invention is to provide -a machine where withoutany gap in time, and by means of a continuous process, the -Wool fibersonce scoured and tinted are dried and afterwards carded, the tibersemerging in lap form and gathered -as a thick roving. The roving may be'fed to a roving frame as the rst stage of spinning, the process beingextended in a more complete cycle.

These and other objects will appear more clearly from the description ofthe drawings constituting an integral part of the specification, whereinseveral partial views of the machine are represented.

In the drawings, FIGURE la is a longitudinal schematic sectional view ofthe scouring section of the machine; FIGURE 1b is a longitudinalsectional view of the dyeing section; FIGURE 4lc is a schematiclongitudinal sectional view of the drying section and entrance into thecarding section; and FIGURE 1d is a schematic longitudinal sectionalview of the carding and ber grouping section.

raice kIn FIGURE itz-1 is the electric motor coupled to a reducer Zwhich drives through the bar 3 and worm gear 4, a sprocket -5 secured tothe roller shaft 6. An endless chain having an upper run 7 and lower run8 is driven by sprocket l5, the chain being moved as indicated by thearrows. The whole machine is covered by a casing 9 which is horizontalat 10 and shaped like a table, cut at 11 in -order to enable the layingof the wool iibers 12 to be treated on `the endless upper chain run '7.This chain goes into the machine, carrying -a continuous layer of wool,through the opening `13 provided in the top cover y14. The upper run ofthe endless chain passes over the rollers 15 arranged between the posts15 in order that it may be maintained as lilat as possible withouttaking the shape of `a catenary. The chain, with the wool layer 12thereon passes over the reservoir C17 llcd with warm water up to thelevel 18, water being drawn out of the reservoir through the conduit 19,and as the valve 2G is opened, the motor driven pump 21 irnpels itthrough the pipe 22, which ends in an elbow shape at 23 and goes through24 into the higher reservoir 25. In the latter, a pipe is arranged withholes -27 connected through pipe 28 to a steam producing device, andtherefore the water is heated and passes through holes 29 in the plate3Q and afterwards through the holes 31 in the base plate 32, the warm-water passing in thin and speedy jets onto the layer of wool :fibers 12running under the top reservoir. -Plates 39 and B2 are parallel andspaced to prevent any turbulence from altering the regular outlet of thewater in thin jets through holes 31. This warm water bathes, bycirculation, the whole fibrous layer 12 and then yfalls in the lowerreservoir |17 to go on continuously in the above disclosed avay. At t-hebottom of the lower reservoir 17, plate 33 has been arranged with holes34 of large diameter and therefore, the foreign particles of the woolare -deposited on the lower part 35 and emptied through the pipe 36 uponopening valve 37 to be discharged into conduit 3S connected to thesewer.

Into the same reservoir 25 empties pipe 39' which is coupled by pipe 40to the valve 41 which is also connected with pipe 42 discharging through43 in the second spraying .reservoir for scouring, marked with the samenumbers -as the first one, the latter being of identical construction,except with regard to the arrangement of the said valve 41 with branches40 and '42. The third spraying reservoir for scouring is identical tothe second one, except t-he -water inlet through pipe 44 which by meansof valve 45 and iloater 45, maintains a predetermined level inside saidreservoir.

The running speed of chain '7 with the layer of wool bers thereon issuitably regulated and thus passes under the sprayers; which remove,carrying oli and dissolving, the foreign particles, without disturbingany fiber. By the arrangement of valves 41 in the re-feeding conduits tothe spraying reservoirs 25, the ones 20 for re-feeding, and the ones 37to discharge residual products, there may be provided in this scouringsection re-circulation individually in each group of spraying reservoirsand its lower container, as well as controlled circulation by steps, andto this end the valves 37 of the second and third reservoirs are keptclosed, and the valves 41 are opened to give more passage to conduit 40than to the conduit 42. Thus water from the third reservoir 17, which isthe cleanest as it receives the wool completely scoured, passes to thesecond one and from this to the tirst one, maintaining the valve 41 ofthe second reservoir in the same ow conditions as the one into the thirdreservoir.

Bearing in mind that the dirty wool fibers contain animal fats which areset apart during the warm scouring,

their recovery is provided in that all lower reservoirs 17 have a liange47 above the normal water level, and in the positions 5.8 conduits 49are placed, -which empty into pipes 50 through which the said fats pass,that float on the water of the aforementioned reservoirs, and at thesame time provided for overfiow if any irregularity arises in theregulation of valves 20, 37 and 41.

When the chain 7 leaves the three spraying reservoirs 25, the wool layer12 is completely scoured, and then the chain passes through otherspraying reservoirs as represented in FIGURE lb. The containers 51 havesteam heaters constituted by blind tubes 52 having holes 53, which arenot charged with water, but with dyeing solution passing through holes54 in the plate 55 and through holes 56 in the base plate 57, beingdirected in thin jets on the wool layer 12 carried on the chain 7. Inthis way the dyestuff goes into the wool fiber, the penetra-tion beinghelped as well as the fixation thereof because the fibres are wetted dueto the previous scouring operation. This dyeing solution traverses thewool layer and falls down into the lower reservoir S where a level 59lower than that in the scouring containers is maintained, and likewisethis container is fitted with a plate 60 with holes 61 to create theresidue separating chamber 62, which is discharged by pipe 63 throughvalve 64 and from this to sewer line 65. This reservoir is alsoconnected through pipe 66 to the valve 67 and this valve to the motordriven pump 68 which through pipes 69 and 70 provides for the dyeingsolution being recirculated, the end 71 of pipe 70 going inside thereservoir 51. The replacement of the solution is effected throughconduit 72, valve 73 and pipes 74 and 75 inside each reservoir 51.Therefore, with two or more groups of sprayers and lower containers,like the ones described, the result is that the wool fibers continuouslypassing among them are well dyed and when chain 7 passes over thereforwarding roller 76, the wool layer 12, scoured and tinted, isdelivered to the squeezer rollers 77 and 78 installed in the post 79,and which are loaded by means of a resilient device (not shown).Consequently, the wool layer 12 is squeezed and is then transferred upona second continuous chain 80 mounted on roller 81 and travels through anopening made in a casing wall into the continuous drying chamberappearing in FIGURE 1c. In this chamber, a warm atmosphere isestablished with Ithe air being circulated about the continuous chain 80and the wool layer 12 thereon and to this end the top side is closed byplate 85 having holes 86, through which the warm air coming from thelower side enters, drawn by conduit S7 through opening 88 inside thesaid chamber. This conduit is connected with the motor driven pump 89which forwards the air to the heater 90 and radiator 91 fed by steamthrough the tube 92, the flow and the air temperature being regulated,in accord- Vance with the running speed of the continuous chain and ofthe degree of moisture of the wool layer.

To avoid that the air circulating inside of the drying chamber takes onan excessive degree of moisture, there is provided, outside of the saidcirculation of warm air, a complementary ventilation by means ofchimneys 93 opening at the lower side in the chamber, the differences intiow circulation being also made up through outside outlets as window 95fitted with an adjustable blind. Therefore, the wool layer 12 on thechain 80 loses practically all its moisture, remaining scoured andtinted, and leaves this drying chamber through the open work 96 made inwall 97.

The wool layer 12 scoured, tinted and dried, goes then to the chamber 99and falls into the small trough 100 provided with drilled bottom 101,wherein drum 102 with pins 103 is installed, rotating at sufficientspeed to separate the wool fibers of layer 12, dispersing and throwingthem to the second drum v102 with pins 103 identical with the first one.The broken fibers fall on the grid 101 and are drawn towards chamber 104through conduit 105 and 4 the exhaust 106, passing to exhaust107,`outside of the machine.

The second drum 102 receives the fibers 108 coming from Vthe first one,and in turn separates the short fibers not already removed, building upthere on mass of fibers 109, which are gathered at by'endless drivingbelt 111 running between rollers 112 and 113 to build a lap which iscarried and delivered to tangential rollers 115 and 116, from which itensues at 117 to the first carding drum. Drums 121 and 127 areprovidedwith pins 119 and rotate at different speeds, each of which isfaster than the preceding one and slower than the following one, andtherefore in the Itangential or intercrossing places of their pins, aguiding action is performed on the fibers, so that the material leavingthe drum is 127 a lap well orientated fibers. A roller 12S separatedfrom the drum 127 delivers the lap to the drum 129, the diameter ofwhich is considerably larger than the preceding ones. In order `that thelap 130 may be taken off the final drum 129, a comb 131 is provided todischarge the lap onto plate 132 which is flanged and has a triangularshape so that the lap gathers in its vertex in the shape of a thickroving which is taken up by rollers 133 and 134, into the reel 135,ready to feed a combing installation.

The endless chains or belts 7 and 80 move at substanprising atleast twoalined reservoirs, a second group com-V prising at least two alinedreservoirs which are in alinement with the reservoirs of the firstgroup, a movable end- `l`less belt extending over all of said reservoirsand adapted to carry a layer of wool fibers from the first reservoir ofthe first `group to the last reservoir of the second group and over allthe intermediate reservoirs, a separate sprayer over each reservoir ofthe first group, each said sprayer being adapted to supply verticalyjets of warm water upon the layer of wool fibers, a separate pumpconnected with each reservoir of the first group and its sprayer, meansconnecting the pump of a subsequent reservoir of the first group withthe sprayer of the preceding reservoir of the first group, a separatesprayer over each reservoir of the second group, each said sprayer beingadapted to supply vertical jets of a warm dyeing solution upon the layerof wool fibers, a separate pump connected with each reservoir of thesecond group and its sprayer, with the sprayer of the precedingreservoir of the second group, two squeezing rollers located adjacentthe last reservoir of the second group and receiving the layer of woolfibers from said endless belt, a drying chamber, a second endless =beltextending through said drying chamber, a group of rotary carding drumslocated outside -of said drying chamber, Ithe second endless beltreceiving the layer of wool bers from said squeezing rollers andtransporting it through the drying chamber and means delivering saidwool fibers from said second endless belt to said carding drums.

2. A machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second endless beltmoves at substantially the same speed as the first endless belt, whereinthe drying chamber has a temperature of between 50 C. and 80 C. andwherein the length of the drying chamber is less than the length of thetwo groups of reservoirs.

3. A machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means deliveringwool fibers from the second endless bel-t to the carding drums comprisea first chamber, a pin-carrying drum located in said first chamber andreceiving Wool fibers from the second endless belt, a perforated bottomin said first chamber for receiving broken fibers, a second chamber, apin-carrying drum located in the second .chamber and receiving woolnbers from the pin-carrying drum in the first chamber, a perforatedbottom in said second chamber for receiving broken fibers, and meanstransporting wool bers from the pin-carrying drum in the second chamberto the carding drums.

4. A machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein said carding drumsextend parallel to each other, each of said carding drums having pinsmeshing with the pins of an adjacent carding drum, Lthe layer of Woolbers extending over a lower surface of one carding drum and over anupper surface of an adjacent carding drum, said apparatus furthercomprising a pin-carrying drum which is larger than said carding drumsand which receives the wool ber in lap form from the carding drums, acomb removing the lap from the last-mentioned drum, a plate havingconverging edges and receiving the lap from said comb to form it into asliver, and a reel located adjacent said plate for winding the sliver.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Wilkinson.

Sinclair 68-22 X Rusden 68-62 Dear 68--205 X Shuman 68-205 X Meyer.

Mitchell 19-93 McLean 19-93 X Alexopoulos 68-208 X Fairbaim 19-65 XFrance.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Prilzary Examiner.

1. A MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUSLY SCOURING, DYEING AND CARDING WOOL,COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A FIRST GROUP COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO ALINEDRESERVOIRS, A SECOND GROUP COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO ALINED RESERVOIRSWHICH ARE IN ALINEMENT WITH THE RESERVOIRS OF THE FIRST GROUP, A MOVABLEENDLESS BELT EXTENDING OVER ALL OF SAID RESERVOIRS AND ADAPTED TO CARRYA LAYER OF WOOL FIBERS FROM THE FIRST RESERVOIR OF THE FIRST GROUP TOTHE LAST RESERVOIR OF THE SECOND GROUP AND OVER ALL THE INTERMEDIATERESERVOIRS, A SEPARATE SPRAYER OVER EACH RESERVOIR OF THE FIRST GROUP,EACH SAID SPRAYER BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPLY VERTICAL JETS OF WARM WATERUPON THE LAYER OF WOOL FIBERS, A SEPARATE PUMP CONNECTED WITH EACHRESERVOIR OF THE FIRST GROUP AND ITS SPRAYER, MEANS CONNECTING THE PUMPOF A SUBSEQUENT RESERVOIR OF THE FIRST GROUP WITH THE SPRAYER OF THEPRECEDING RESERVOIR OF THE FIRST GROUP, A SEPARATE SPRAYER OVER EACHRESERVOIR OF THE SECOND GROUP, EACH SAID SPRAYER BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPLYVERTICAL JETS OR A WARM DYEING SOLUTION UPON THE LAYER OF WOOL FIBERS, ASEPARATE PUMP CONNECTED WITH EACH RESERVOIR OF THE SECOND GROUP AND ITSSPRAYER, WITH THE SPRAYER OF THE PRECEDING RESERVOIR OF THE SECONDGROUP, TWO SQUEEZING ROLLERS LOCATED ADJACENT THE LAST RESERVOIR OF THESECOND GROUP AND RECEIVING THE LAYER OF WOOL FIBERS FROM SAID ENDLESSBELT, A DRYING CHAMBER, A SECOND ENDLESS BELT EXTENDING THROUGH SAIDDRYING CHAMBER, A GROUP OF ROTARY CARDING DRUMS LOCATED OUTSIDE OF SAIDDRYING CHAMBER, THE SECOND ENDLESS BELT RECEIVING THE LAYER OF WOOLFIBERS FROM SAID SQUEEZING ROLLERS AND TRANSPORTING IT THROUGH THEDRYING CHAMBER AND MEANS DELIVERING SAID WOOL FIBERS FROM SAID SECONDENDLESS BELT TO SAID CARDING DRUMS.